


Avarice

by 1_NoName_among_many



Category: Widdershins (Webcomic)
Genre: (It's innocent though), Implied/Referenced Nudity, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Underage Smoking, passing the torch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28239723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1_NoName_among_many/pseuds/1_NoName_among_many
Summary: Greed was surprisingly magnanimous for a deadly sin. I wonder why that was?Let's find out together!
Comments: 7
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

Ava was trapped.

Again.

And this time, there wasn't even an escape hatch. At least when it was bound to the Mark of the Thief King it had the _chance_ of escape.

But not one of those single-minded simpletons ever let it go. 

Well, except for the last one. But he wasn't single-minded, or a simpleton. The last Thief King was a glorious, complex tapestry of emotion and spirits.

There was itself in there - there always was - but it was tempered, and resisted with ease. No, his other vices were in control. A dithering form of Acedia, a little Invidia around the edges, a very chaste form of that _idiot_ Luxuria - no, wait, that was Caritas, the good one.

Still. Luxuria _was_ an idiot. It got to explore the wonderful tapestry that is humanity in all its glory, and what did it do? Decide the whole thing was rubbish and should be burned to the ground! As if all that delicious complexity was a flaw, not a feature!

And that, of course, was why its plan failed so miserably. It saw complexity as a weakness, rather than the source of the greatest strength humanity has.

Hello, what's this? Avaritia could feel the pipe being picked up - it never should have given that hunter that pipe! Figures the _one_ time it tries to be generous, it backfires so _spectacularly_ \- it could feel the pipe being picked up, and now lit, and now the sin itself was being drawn up in the smoke - maybe that present wasn't so bad after all - and out it came. 

The person who had picked it up and - not freed it, not exactly - but released it was coughing spectacularly. The girl? - it was a little hard to tell for she was a witch - that released her couldn't have been more than six. What was she doing smoking? No matter.

"Well, hello, little witch" Ava said, a broad grin on its face. It stretched its six arms, as if it had been cramped in the pipe, and realized it actually had been. "What's a little thing like you doing smoking?"

The little witch just gaped at Avaritia for a solid minute. Then: "Are you a genie?" There was a Cockney twang to her accent.

"Sure, let's go with that," the sin - not exactly lied - but embellished. "I can grant your heart's desire. For a price."

The little witch narrowed her eyes. "How much?"

This one was shrewd. Not like that Roma one that Lux tricked so soundly. Or that Irish one that got wound up in Ace's unmeaning spell.

Speak of the Devil! "Gneh!" The Irish witch was behind it now, chaining it back into the pipe. "Not again!" Of course there were two City Witches now! The new one was too young to take control of the Anchor!

So Ava was trapped.

Again.

But this time, there was hope.


	2. Chapter 2

Ava could feel the pipe being picked up again. The hand was larger, surer, but still familiar...

The pipe was lit, the smoke was drawn, and out came Avaritia. "Well hello... not so little witch." By how much she had aged, it must have been fifteen years at least. "Couldn't stay away, could you?"

"Only out of practical necessity, I assure you." The Cockney twang had lessened - a Yorkshire brogue was at the forefront now.

"That's what they all say," the sin grinned. 

"I'm sure," the witch grinned back. 

Avaritia wished it could know what the witch was thinking. Most witches don't have spirit faces, and that idiot Luxuria was the one that could read mundane faces - that's how it bamboozled that Roma witch.

She spoke: "I've been doing a lot of research into you, Avaritia."

"Oh, so formal. Please, call me Ava, Miss...?"

"You can call me Witch for now, Sin."

Hmph. This was going to be tricky. "So you've looked into me. What did you find?"

"You are the - not exactly personification - but manifestation of the desire for and pursuit of power," the witch replied. "Usually, but not always, in the form of money."

"So you've looked in a dictionary, have you?"

"I've also found that most desires and pursuits tend to suffer from those same desires and pursuits. Gula wants to eat, Acedia wants to sleep, Ira wants to kill."

"But Luxuria doesn't want to have sex all the time."

"It did, at first, but the body it was bound to affected it, and colored its ambitions. Just like your time in the Mark of the Thief King colored yours."

"Oh really? How so?" Avaritia was genuinely intrigued now.

" _You_ want the greatest strength of humanity, our greatest power."

"And that would be?"

The witch dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Free will."

The effect was immediate. Ava's face went blank, as the color drained - quite literally - from its face. If it had a heart, it would have quickened.

"I thought so," the witch replied. 

You didn't need to be Luxuria to see the smug look of triumph on her face. But Avaritia didn't care, it _couldn't_ care. Its nature wouldn't allow it.

"What would you give for it?" the witch asked, after what seemed an age.

The sin's answer was immediate. "Anything. _Everything_! For just a _taste_ of your greatest power, that you throw away so casually!" Curse its honest nature! Why was the spirit of Dishonesty the only one that could lie?

"Good." The witch's smile widened and deepened. "I want you to tell me everything there is to know about the Mark of the Thief King."

"Is that it?"

"No, but it is a start." The witch pulled out a pen and some parchment - paper, it's called paper now. "I want to teach Luxuria a lesson, and I think you want to teach it the same one. That human complexity is a feature, not a flaw."

"Of course!" Avaritia could see it now. Luxuria bound to a clingy little trinket, and a massive idol hidden in a cave somewhere. Forced to watch as lustful human after lustful human unwittingly sacrificed themselves on its altar, in the single-minded pursuit of the ultimate pleasure. Lux would enjoy it at first, just as Ava had, but after a while, the novelty would wear off, and it would long for freedom. 

And soon after that, Luxuria would realize its only hope was someone _not_ bound by it. Someone who would _never_ \- of their own free will - seek out the Mark of the Pimp King. Or whatever they decided to call it.

"I'm in."


	3. Chapter 3

Ava opened its new eyes. Everything looked off somehow. Grayer, less saturated - not _drained_ of color - but definitely a tone or two duller.

It looked down at its body. Gone were the rich, dark green skin and the pot-belly, replaced with a pasty white complexion and a bony scaffold.

It propped themself up on its elbows. Its six magnificent grabby arms had been reduced to two measly pipe-cleaners. That just would not do! There was going to be some serious exercise in the near future.

From there it tried to get up off the table they were lying on, but they wouldn't budge. Then it remembered, it had legs now, not a tail of genie smoke. They swung its new appendages over to the ground.

It stood up, a little unsteady. They had never had legs before, and it was fascinating seeing how they worked.

They looked over to the mirror. They had hair now! A rich dark brown, with - was a that a tinge of green? And their eyes! A magnificent amber-gold in hue, just like its aura.

"Enjoying the view?"

"Gneh!" Ava shouted. 

"Sorry." The witch smirked. "Well are you?" she asked again.

"I must say," then they stopped, startled at the sound of their voice. It wasn't just that it was a stately tenor instead of its usual monstrous baritone, its that the voice resonated all through their body. That was a new sensation. 

They pressed on. "I must say, this body you gave me is intriguing. But I don't understand why?"

"If you want the full human experience, you need to look like a human, inside and out," the witch clarified. "Speaking of, how's everything inside?"

Ava closed their eyes and listened to their spirit. It was - not exactly crowded - but teeming. Avaritia was still the one in charge, and the only one with memory and personality, but there were whispers of other spirits edging in. 

Plenty of Fortitude, with a little extra Diligence thrown in for good measure. Avaritia itself had a decent work ethic, but both it and the witch knew its victims often didn't, so a little extra help was deemed a welcome addition.

Generosity, too. The witch had explained that those with the freest wills had the most contradictory spirits, as it allowed the person to choose between the widest range of options. Ava was skeptical, but couldn't deny the logic, so in went an assorted mix of Caritas, Munificentia and Altruisma. 

There was the usual chatter of Joy and Sorrow and Anger and Fear and Desire and Disgust and Boredom and Surprise. Those had been bound to Avaritia from the start, back when it was in the Idol of the Thief King. Most wizards were - put off is definitely the right word - when their summons didn't at least act like humans. So it had long ago become standard practice to bind those eight basic emotions to every summoned spirit. They were never enough for free will, but they did allow a personality to develop.

And Dishonesty. Ah, Dishonesty! They'd managed to sneak that one past the witch. Free will was the greatest power of humanity, but the ability to lie was a close second. And they weren't about to let it be limited to lying to themself.

"Oh, naughty, naughty!" the witch said, scolding playfully. Ah yes, witches, lacking spirit faces, could sense those of other beings. She must have spotted Dishonesty when it popped up.

Ava opened their eyes and made a wicked grin. "Can you blame me?" they said. "I'm the manifestation of the desire for and pursuit of power. Usually, but not always, in the form of money."

The witch rolled her eyes. "You're lucky I can't undo this without completely de-summoning you."

Ava's grin deepened. 

"So tell me," the witch said. "What's your name?"

"Avaritia, of course."

"You can't go around calling yourself Avaritia, Sin," the witch explained, exasperation edging into her voice. "That will draw unwanted attention."

"Ava then, that's a human name."

The witch looked between the embodied sin's new legs, but said nothing. "Yeah, okay. What about your pronouns?"

Oh. Hmm. They really had to think about this one. Given the extra appendage between their new legs, they guessed that made them male. But he/him didn't sound right. Neither they nor the witch had though to call on Masculinity during the embodiment - or Femininity, for that matter. So that made them neuter. But "it" didn't sound right either. Not anymore, at least. 

They/them, though - that sounded right. They had met neuter humans before - at least three of the Thief Kings were agender, as they called it - and they all used they/them.

"They/them. My pronouns are they/them."

"Okay then. Now let's get you into some clothes."


	4. Chapter 4

Ava admired the new suit they were wearing. It wasn't tailored - how could it, with no body available - but it fit remarkably well. The sin figured the witch tailored the body to the suit. 

"Why did you make me male?" they suddenly asked. Ah, that would be Curiosity! A useful trait in the pursuit of knowledge. And as everyone knows, Knowledge is Power.

"You just looked male to me," the witch shrugged. "Sorry for presuming your gender. Would you rather be female? Ava is traditionally a woman's name."

"I though you said you couldn't undo this without de-summoning me?"

"The phasmia-psychology bit, not the sex determination bit," the witch waved dismissively. "There have been spells to change the sex of the target for centuries now."

Oh. Ava considered this. On the one hand, they really didn't want to change their name, and "Ava" was apparently feminine. So was "Avaritia", now they thought of it - but the Romans saw all the spirits as feminine for some reason, even Masculinity, so that meant nothing. On the other hand, even in this modern age there were traces of patriarchy. England, for instance, still hasn't dispensed of male-preference primogeniture. Which was itself an upgrade from the previous system of "no girls allowed".

"No," they decided. "I'll stay male. But I'm keeping my name. I'll just say I had a sex change, but kept my name." Technically, that wasn't even a lie. Going from neuter to male _is_ a sex change, after all. "It'll reinforce the pronouns," they added suddenly.

"Fair enough," the witch shrugged.

Ava went back to admiring their suit. Then: "Am I a wizard?"

"No," came the flat response. "I wasn't going to make the same mistake my Roma predecessor did. You're no different from any ordinary human."

Drat.

"You _are_ very... there, though." The witch waved emphatically over the embodied sin's head at the word "there", as if that would explain anything. The look of abject confusion probably prompted the next response. "Wanna see?"

"Sure," Ava shrugged.

The witch took a piece of wizard's pastel from her pocket and drew a reading ring onto the mirror. When she activated it, the sight took Ava's breath away.

There, in a gold-and-green pastel swirl, was their original spirit form, in its full, six-armed, pot-bellied glory. It's crown and eyes glowed yellow with curiosity before quickly turning pink with astonishment and awe. "That's-" all they could stammer out. They were speechless.

"Eh, you get used to it."

"How often do people like this appear?"

"Not often enough."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I do not believe that "there"ness corresponds with "good"ness. More likely, it corresponds with charisma - people who are "very there" have an engaging presence. Like, say, a very personable deadly sin who's suddenly human.


	5. Chapter 5

Ava's reverie was interrupted by a rude voice from downstairs. 

"Yoohoo! Clara!"

"Aha!" The sin decried. "So your name is Clara!"

"Hush you!" the witch was busy wiping away the reading ring on the mirror.

"Clara, darling, it's your favorite hunter, back from his travels! Oh hello there!" Into the room came a fresh faced young man with an unruly mop of dark red hair and a tan complexion. He - Ava guessed - looked vaguely familiar. "Who's your friend?" the hunter asked. 

Ava wasted no time. "Ava. Ava Rice." They extended a hand to the young hunter. "And yours?"

"Henry Malik-Barber, at your service!" The hunter clasped the sin's hand "And I must say, Ava is a pretty unique name for a man."

"Had a sex change, kept the name," Ava airily dismissed. "They/them, by the way."

"He/him, by the way," Henry shot back. "And she's she/her, but I'm sure you already knew that."

"Not really." Ava looked at the witch askance. "I didn't even know her name until just now, actually."

"Clara!" Henry said, gasping, "I am shocked, shocked, that you wouldn't tell this lovely person your name!"

"You wouldn't be if you knew them like I did," Clara said crossly. 

"And how do you know them?" 

"They helped me with the research on the Mark of the Thief King. Speaking of, how goes our little project?"

"The Idol of the Pimp King is in position, now we just need to get the Mark to a deserving mark. May I suggest-?"

"No, you may not," Clara cut in. "The first victim needs to be a very particular kind of person, and only I can make that determination. And I thought we agreed not to call it that!"

"Why not?" Ava cut in. "It's what they are."

"It's obscene!"

The hunter rolled his eyes. "Sorry about that. The old witch kind of imprinted on her a _little_ too much."

"He _did not_!" Clara shouted. "O'Malley wasn't like that! He just didn't like sex or romance!"

"So you admit you were born a prude?" Henry shot back.

"Ugh!" Clara stormed off.

Ava was grinning like a fool. Some Schadenfreude - those Germans had a word for everything - must have gotten in somehow. Then he turned to Henry. "Malik-Barber, you said? Where have I heard those names before?"

Henry, index finger raised, was about to launch into a long exposition of his own exploits when Clara popped her head back in. "Probably from his grandparents!"

"Hrm," Henry grunted. His finger drooped.

"See, you even grunt like her!"

"Hrmph!" He crossed his arms and frowned. It was innately hilarious, especially since there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Evidently, this sort of thing has happened before.

"So your grandfather's the last Thief King?" Ava asked.

"Well, that's hardly his most famous exploit," Henry answered, "but yes."

"Oh, splendid, I would so love to meet him again!"

"Again?"

Crud! How were they going to explain this?

"They went to a book signing," Clara cut in. "That's how we met actually."

"Oh really? Which signing?"

"The one you couldn't attend because of the giraffe incident."

"I _thought_ we _agreed_ to _never mention_ that _again_!"

"Oh this I've got to hear!" Ava said. Yep, there was definitely some Schadenfreude in there.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is entirely Sturzkampf's fault.
> 
> He's the one who mentioned poker.

Ava was at a poker game. 

After that stray "again" almost ruined everything, Clara insisted they learn the game. 

"If you're going to have Dishonesty," she had said, "you might as well learn to use it!"

So that's how Ava found themself playing poker with the witch's friends. The witch herself didn't play - no one can suppress the tell she senses, and these games are mostly for fun. 

Mostly. Ava was several thousand pounds in the hole at the moment. This is what happens when most of your friends are minor aristocrats.

To their left sat Henry Malik-Barber, the hunter, only grandson (but not only grandchild) of Harry Barber, world famous hunter, and Sidney Malik, Thief King.

To his left, Valentine Cunningham, wizard engineer, heir to Victor Cunningham's estate, and eldest grandchild of Verity Cunningham and Lei Feng.

To his left, Robin Thackeray-Swift, malform remover and part-time conspiracy theorist, second granddaughter of Benjamin Thackeray and Eliza Swift.

To her left, Coraline Barber, granddaughter of the Baron of Widdershins and second in line for the seat - there were rumors (unsubstantiated) that she and Henry were kissing cousins.

To her left, Henry Wolfe, grandson of Heinrich Wolfe and "a noblewoman who shall remain nameless" but was almost certainly Florence de Montfort. To avoid confusion, he usually went by Hank.

To his left, Laury Knott, up-and-coming defender of the weak and grandchild of Vincent Knot, premiere defense barrister, and William Sharpe. They had also discovered they were non-binary a few years ago.

And to their left, also Ava's right, sat Mama Katta, the closest thing to a mother Clara ever had, and a fellow "very there", at least according to Clara. Mama Katta was also dealing.

"Alright, boys, girls and assorted others," she said, "This'll be the last game for the night, so make sure you can pay up." She shot a pointed glare at Ava. "Anyone who can't, will have to leave an IOU."

Ava scowled. Having to pay was one thing, but being in debt? That just would not do! They had to win this game. 

The hand was dealt. It was horrible! Ava scowled on reflex - they still hadn't figured out how to keep their face from doing that. Ava thought neutral thoughts and bet as the hunter snickered. So much for the scowl going unnoticed.

Fortunately, Ava wasn't the worst player. Robin's tells were almost as obvious, and she made no effort to hide them. After Henry and Val both raised, Robin folded. She started scribbling out an IOU - only a few hundred pounds - she played conservatively.

Then came Coraline, who raised again. She was very good at keeping a poker face, except for the eyes. Ava wasn't sure how they noticed, or figured it out, but they were very glad to realize that Coraline was bluffing. If they could get a good hand on the draw, they might be able to get her to raise the pot enough to keep them from IOU-ing.

Their hopes were dashed when Hank tripled the pot. He only ever did that when he had a good hand. A straight or a flush or better. Their only hope now was to turn in all five cards and hope for a royal flush. 

Laury knew this too, and instantly folded. They started settling up. After Ava and Henry called (dealer didn't keep a hand at this table), Val folded as well, but he didn't have an IOU to write. He played - not conservatively - but shrewdly, and never bet more than he could pay.

The rest called, and it was on to the draw. Ava turned in all their cards. Drat! A royal straight in black! They needed a royal _flush_! Worse, only one card - the ace - was of the wrong suit. Ava did their best, but Henry's snicker told them that they had not succeeded in hiding their tell. Ava called. 

Henry didn't turn in any cards, and called. Coraline turned in three, and raised. But it was another bluff. If anything, her hand was worse now. Hank also didn't turn anything in, and doubled the pot. Ava called again; Henry called again; Coraline folded and settled up; Hank, mercifully, called. 

It was time for the showdown. Hank, impatient to win, laid out his hand. It was a nine-high straight in red. Ava couldn't believe their luck! As Hank was scooping up "his" pot, Ava cut in.

"No so fast, Hank! I think you'll find a royal straight beats your nine-high straight!" Ava laid out their own cards

"What! Nooooo!"

"Welp, I concede," Henry said. "Good game Ava, that was quite the turnaround."

The grin on Ava's face could only be described as sh-t eating. Not only had they recouped all their losses, but now four people - Robin, Laury, Coraline and Hank - were in their debt! And Hank dangerously so! Just think of the possibilities!


	7. Chapter 7

Ava knocked on the door with trepidation. How could they have been such a fool!

"Coming!" Robin Thackeray-Swift called from inside. "Just a minute!" She opened the door wearing a peculiar pair of goggles. "Oh, hi Ava, what brings- whoa! You're huge!"

Ava blushed. "You can see that?" This was not good, not good at all! If the _conspiracy theorist_ could see _Avaritia_ , then who knows how long before she figured it out?

"Oh, sorry," she took off the goggles. "Val made these for me. We call 'em 'reading glasses'. Get it? 'Cause they can read spirits?"

"Yes, cute."

"Wanna try 'em on? It's only fair." The malform remover offered the goggles to the embodied sin.

Curiosity got the better of them. "Well, if you insist." They took the goggles and put them on. "Oh my!" Robin's spirit was a little indistinct, as it had a wizard aura, but you could clearly see that the dominant spirit was Curiosity. There was also a lot of Fortitude, and an intense sense of Justice, if that shield and sword meant anything.

"Are you a wizard?" Ava asked.

"Barely," Robin scoffed. "Not even as much talent as Great Aunt Lei. No, Val got all the talent. You should see his aura! Great Aunt Vee was furious!"

"I'll bet." Ava took the goggles off and returned them to Robin.

"Speaking of, why are you here?" The malform remover went inside and gestured for Ava to follow.

"I've come to settle up."

"I figured that much, but I don't have the money right now. And I assume you also knew that, so it must be a service you're after. What did you break?"

"I didn't _break_ anything!"

"But there _is_ a malform on the loose."

Ava hung their head in Shame. "Yes."

"What and Where?"

"Superbia and Invidia. At the Witch House."

You didn't need the reading glasses to tell Robin was startled. "I don't do the Witch House. Clara takes care of her own problems."

"I know, but this isn't her problem, and I don't want her to find out!"

"And a Deadly will cost you extra," Robin added, arms crossed. "Extra-extra for two. But I assume you already knew that."

"I was afraid of that." Ava sighed. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Besides, it was only a matter of time before she figured it out. Why not get her on the inside? "How would you like to get in on a conspiracy?"

"DO I?" The effect was immediate.

"Then gather your things and come with me to the Witch House."


	8. Chapter 8

Ava and Robin were at the Witch House, in the study.

"So what happened here?"

"Clara was out, so I was poking around the place when I found the Sin Anchors." He held the Liar's Heart up out of the drawer. "Luxuria, of course, has been released from this one and put into the Mark and Idol of the Pimp King. And I was looking for m- Avaritia's Pipe of Plenty when I accidently let Invidia's shattered Jewel of Acquisition spill onto Superbia's Mask of Many Minions. And, well..."

They pointed to a closet. "I managed to trap the resulting fusion in that closet."

"Ava you traitor!" the raspy, adenoidal voice of Invidia called. "Get us out of here!"

Then came Superbia's high and regal affectation. "It's bad enough my beautiful tail has been replaced by this... thing!"

"Oh, like you're the picture of beauty yourself, Su!"

"Why you!" A wild scuffle ensued, and the closet's latch broke, letting the fused sins fall out on the floor.

Robin's eyes bugged out at the sight. On one end, the magenta peacock of Superbia. On the other, the green fox-dragon-thing of Invidia. Currently, the two heads were biting and clawing each other, desperately trying to free themselves from this ouroboros of misery. "That's no mere malform," Robin said at last.

"Oh?" Ava asked innocently. "How can you tell?"

"I can hear them. And see them without the reading glasses," Robin replied unamused. "What did you do? How do they have bodies?" 

"I think they're still bound to their anchors. They're not freed, just released."

"And how can you tell?"

"'Cause that's what happened to it the first time the new witch let it out of its 'Pipe of Plenty'!" Invidia shouted. It was currently being headlocked by its tail.

"Quiet you!" Ava kicked their sister sin. "And it's they/them now!"

"Oh, how fancy!" Invidia shouted again. "Careful Su, it sounds like Ava's horning in on your territory!"

"It's not a pluralis majestatis, you imbecile!" Superbia yelled back. "It's a pluralis impuritatis! They seem to have sullied themselves in their quest for power!"

Ava pinched the bridge of their nose.

"Ava Rice," Robin said. "Avarice," she added. "Of course. And your aura! Those arms are distinctive. I'm assuming Clara made you that body in payment for helping her with her research?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I wanted free will, and she's a witch of her word."

"Anything special?"

"No. She's too smart for that."

"Why you would ever give up the abilities you had as a spirit for something so insipid, I will never understand." Superbia declared.

"Quiet you!" Ava punched their other sister sin. That was a bad idea, as their wrist couldn't handle it. "Ow?"

Superbia, meanwhile, was thrown off balance, allowing Invidia to gain the upper hand. That didn't stop them from laughing at Ava's plight, though.

Ava growled, then turned to Robin. "Could you please help me? I really don't want Clara to find out about this."

"You do know she will anyway, right?" Robin asked. "No one can lie to her."

"No, but we can hide things from her."

"Not for long."

"Do you want to help or not?" Ava said, exasperated. "We can't let them go about like this!"

Robin sighed. "Is that because it's trouble for your fellow sins, or for your fellow humans?"

"Superbia is a self-centered fool, and Invidia is a cheap knock-off."

"Hey!" the two sins in question shouted in indignation.

"That doesn't answer my question." Robin crossed her arms. It seemed that tic was associated with anger and annoyance at being toyed with.

Ava sighed. If they were honest with themself, it _was_ about the danger to humanity. That Generosity was beginning to eat away at their not-conscience. Still, Su and Invy _were_ family. Dysfunctional family, but family nonetheless.

"A little of both," they said at last.

"Traitor!" Invidia shouted.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious, the other Sin Anchors are Ira's Pistol of Making Really Dead, Acedia's Oil of Sleep and Gula's Window to the Future.


	9. Chapter 9

Ava was in the library, reading a book on witches.

Robin, after- not exactly successfully - but satisfactorily rebinding the spirits of Invidia and Superbia to their anchors, had gone home. 

The rebinding had left a permanent effect on the twin sins though. Ava was hoping the witch wouldn't notice.

"Ava?"

No such luck.

"Yes, Clara?"

"What happened to Superbia's and Invidia's Sin Anchors?" She held up the Mask of Many Minions, covered in the dust from the Jewel of Acquisition. "And before you answer, I can tell when you're lying."

"It was an accident!" Ava blurted. "I swear!"

"What were you doing poking in my things?"

"What were 'your things' doing in here?" Ava retorted. "The Liar's Heart I can understand, it's safe now - mostly. But the other things are still anchoring my brethren! They had no business out here!"

"Fair point," the witch conceded. "It won't happen again. But I thought I could trust you not to poke around."

There was another burst of Shame, and Ava's face reddened in response. Of course it was a test! A test they had failed! And they'd gotten Su and Invy hopelessly tangled up in the process!

"How'd you get them back in?" Clara asked.

"I called in Robin's IOU."

The witch frowned. "So she knows now?"

"Yes. It wasn't like she wouldn't have found out on her own eventually."

"True. Does she know who knows?"

"Yes, and I swore her to secrecy. I told her if she told anyone, you would be mad at her for ruining your experiment."

"Experiment? What experiment?" Her eyes opened wide.

Ava was getting good at reading mundane faces. Something about Clara's told them that they had bluffed themselves into the truth. "That a spirit could learn humanity."

"How'd you find that out?" Clara asked hurriedly.

"I was only bluffing, Clara. And frankly, I don't care about your reasons. I've always been about results. And so far, I like the results."

"Oh." Now it was Clara's turn to redden in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"And in a way, I _want_ to learn humanity. Free will, remember?"

"And lying," Clara added. There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"That too, I suppose," Ava said, hoping they matched her twinkle.


End file.
